At the Monte Carlo Opera with the Princes of Monaco and President Sergio Mattarella

On the day of his arrival in the Principality, Friday, October 2, President Sergio Mattarella, accompanied by his daughter Laura, was welcomed in the late afternoon at the Opera Garnier in Monte Carlo by H.S.H. Albert II and his wife, H.S.H. Princess Charlene. Princess Caroline also took her seat in the Princes’ Box. The Prince’s Orchestra, conducted by Gianluca Capuano, kicked off the gala evening with a performance by the Opera chorus of the Italian and Monegasque national anthems. A divertissement by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, artistic director of the Monte Carlo Opera, opened the concert. 

The program continued with a mix of well-known and lesser-known arias, including pieces by Rossini and Verdi, such as the stirring chorus “Va pensiero” from *Nabucco*. This was followed by excerpts from Bizet’s *Carmen* and the classic “Brindisi” from *La Traviata*, performed alongside tenor Vincenzo Di Nocera. The artists received a standing ovation from the audience and generously obliged with several encores. 
President Mattarella applauded after every piece with his characteristic style of raising his clapping hands to the level of his face.
Personally, I was impressed by the hall’s acoustics: I had attended several concerts as part of the Monte Carlo Jazz Festival, but this was the first opera performance I’d ever heard, and I was able to admire Cecilia Bartoli’s vocal technique. The singer directed her gaze toward the audience on the side and in the center, and you could sense the shift in her voice. In an amplified concert, voices and instruments come from the same sound source—namely, the speakers. At the Opera, however, every instrument and the ensemble of the choir’s voices stood out perfectly, without the need for microphones. It was a revelation for me, a child of rock concert amplification.
Before leaving the Opéra Garnier, President Mattarella and his daughter Laura were accompanied by the Prince and Princess of Monaco to congratulate Cecilia Bartoli and conductor Gianluca Capuano. 

After about half an hour, the presidential motorcade left the Opera House and headed to the Palace, where the state dinner was scheduled to take place.